Ascension 2026
The Ascension can seem strange at first because we are celebrating Jesus leaving his disciples behind. Yet Jesus leaves not to abandon us, but so that we can grow into his mission and become his presence in the world. As we prepare for Pentecost, we ask for hearts open to the Holy Spirit, who makes us the Body of Christ and empowers us to continue Jesus’ work.
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A few days ago, I was at a meeting with a group of priests. During a coffee break, we began talking about how challenging it can be to preach during the time after Easter and before Pentecost, especially at weekday Masses.
Of course, this is a time of celebration. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. But during this season, we also hear many readings from Jesus’ farewell discourse in the Gospel of John. This discourse takes place at the Last Supper, and the Gospel, for many days, often sounds something like this: Jesus says to his followers, “I am about to go back to the Father. You will see me no longer.” Then he speaks about what he will do for them. He will send the Spirit. He will not leave them alone.
So one day you preach about how Jesus is about to go to the Father and send the Spirit. Then the next day comes along, and once again the Gospel says that Jesus is about to go to the Father and send the Spirit. And this continues, sometimes for what feels like week after week.
An older priest from Newfoundland was there, and he has an incredible sense of humour. He said, “At a certain point, you just want to say, ‘Jesus, would you just leave already?’”
It is funny, but it also points to something important. When we celebrate the Ascension, we are celebrating Jesus leaving. Just think about that for a moment. The Ascension is the celebration of Jesus leaving his disciples behind.
How is that something to celebrate?
When we think about the Ascension, we might ask ourselves: Would it not be better if Jesus had stayed? Would it not be better if Jesus were still here with us in the same way he was with his first disciples?
Imagine that Jesus had not ascended. Where would he live? Maybe he would live at St. Peter’s in Rome. Maybe he would live in Jerusalem. Maybe he would live in Hawaii. I am not sure. But it might seem more convenient if Jesus were still physically present somewhere in the world.
Then we would never have to struggle with doubts about the resurrection. We could see Jesus on television. Maybe he would give public audiences. We could actually see the man who had risen from the dead.
And when we had problems, struggles, or difficulties, when we did not know what to do as a Church, we could simply pick up the phone and call Jesus. He could give us instructions. There would be no need to think things through, to discern, to debate, or to take responsibility.
At first, it seems like it would have been better if Jesus had stayed.
But the Ascension is good news. It is good for us that Jesus leaves in this way because his departure allows us to develop, to grow, and to become more like him.
A few days ago, I was with another group, this time with teachers, and we were talking about the Ascension in relation to the first day of school. The first day of school is always exciting, especially for children beginning kindergarten. Parents bring their children to school, and it is often an emotional moment. The children cling to their parents, and the parents cling to their children.
Eventually, though, the teacher has to say, “Okay, parents, that is it. It is time to get back into your cars and drive away.”
The parents know this too. They cannot stay beside their children forever. If they did, their children would not grow. They would not develop. They would not gain independence. They would not mature.
Something similar is true for us with Jesus.
If Jesus remained with us in the same visible, physical way, we might remain spiritually stunted. We might never grow into the mission he has given us. Jesus goes to the Father so that we can grow. He leaves so that we can become more like him.
Jesus gives us his mission. He sends us to make disciples of all nations. He calls us to teach others to follow his way of life. He sends us to build up the kingdom of God, to work for a world that is more just, more peaceful, more loving, and more faithful to God.
If Christ had not left us in this way, we would not have the same opportunity to grow into that mission. We would not be called in the same way to become his presence in the world.
There is a beautiful prayer often associated with St. Teresa of Ávila that expresses this well:
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
This is why the Ascension is for our good. Jesus leaves so that his mission can continue through us. He goes to the Father so that we can receive the Spirit. He departs in one way so that he can be present to us in a new and powerful way.
And this is important: Jesus has not abandoned us.
When we say that Jesus ascended into heaven, we might wonder, “Where did he go?” I remember once speaking with my niece when she was younger, and she asked me that same question: “Where is Jesus now? Where is heaven?”
It is a difficult question to answer. Is Jesus somewhere at the edge of the Milky Way? Is he on some distant planet, sitting beside God the Father? That is not quite what we believe.
We believe that Jesus is risen from the dead. We believe that Jesus has a real, glorified body. But his risen body is unlike the bodies we know now. Jesus has not gone away from earth as though he had climbed into a spaceship and disappeared. His presence among us has changed.
In the Ascension, Jesus becomes present to us in new ways. He is with the Father, but he is also still with us.
We encounter Christ in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. We encounter Christ in his Word. We encounter Christ in the community gathered in his name. Jesus tells us, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
Christ is still present in his Church. Christ is still present in his people. Christ is still present in the world, not less powerfully, but in a new way.
So today we celebrate the Ascension. We celebrate Jesus leaving his disciples behind, but not abandoning them. We celebrate Jesus going to the Father so that he can send the Spirit. We celebrate Jesus entrusting his mission to us so that we can grow, mature, and become his body in the world.
And as we prepare for Pentecost next Sunday, we are invited to open our hearts once again to the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus leaves, and he sends the Spirit. The Spirit lives in us. The Spirit binds us together as the Body of Christ. The Spirit gives us the strength to continue Jesus’ mission.
Let us pray in a special way today that we will be ready to receive that gift again, and that through the Spirit, we may become more fully the presence of Christ in the world.
